Strike Team Delta: Monaco
by Doctor-Who-Merlin-Sg1
Summary: 2000 Monaco: After 2 years of search for the Black Widow, SHIELD sends Clint Barton & Phil Coulson to find her and take her out but will Clint be able to follow through with his orders?
1. Chapter 1

2000 – Monaco

"Are you sure about this Barton?" Coulson asked from the other side of the room. His agent had just returned from a 6 month deep cover mission in Uzbekistan and looked as if he should be taking a well-earned and very overdue shower and then at least 6 weeks off. "You sure you don't want some down time? Take a few weeks go somewhere nice, Cuba maybe or Tahiti?" he prompted, cause if Clint took a few weeks off then he'd get a few weeks off due to being his handler and all.

"I'm fine Coulson, nothing a shower and a good night sleep won't cure. Besides how long have SHIELD been tracking her? Weeks? Months?" at the look on Coulson's face he knew he'd won SHIELD had been tracking the Black Widow for close to 2 years now and no one had been able to get even remotely close to her and had returned to SHIELD looking extremely put out having wanted to be the one to take out the famous assassin. The few who had however, hadn't been so lucky they'd either been found down some dark damp alley almost unrecognizable or a body was yet to be discovered.

"Coulson, you and Fury both know I was the only one who even came close last year to cornering her and if it hadn't been for that rookie almost falling off the roof we wouldn't be having this conversation cause she'd already be dead. Besides these are Fury's orders, probably couldn't get out of them unless I was unconscious in the Med Bay." "That could be arranged you know" Coulson said with a smirk, but he did know that once an order was given by the Director there was no getting out of it. So the next thing they knew they were on a quinjet half way to Monaco in the dead of winter.

"Staring at that folder won't make this any easier Coulson." Coulson's head snapped up at the sound of Clint's approaching footsteps. "I know I'm just making sure we didn't miss anything important."

"You have noticed that this is one of the smallest folders we've ever worked from right? It's got like 3 pages and one of them is a picture, and a shitty one at that, can't even tell it's even her or not." Snatching the picture from the top of the small pile of paper he flipped it around to try and get some sense of who and what this woman really was. He'd been hearing stories about the Black Widow since he's been brought into SHIELD but she's never been on their radar until 2 years ago when she'd managed to take out the ambassador from some small ass country that Clint couldn't both to remember but whoever it had been had cause her to go from the "Low Level Risk-Monitoring" to "Top Priority" within the matter of hours. Fury especially had been getting more and more pissed as the months dragged on and the Widow was still out there causing havoc in the shadows.

"Okay let's go over the basics again." All Coulson got was a groan but continued on anyways.

Alias: Black Widow

Name: Unknown

Born: Russia

Age: Approx. 25 years of age (ends up being wrong)

Sex: Female

Appearance: Unknown. All that is known about the Black Widows physical appearance is that she has Red hair (What she had been seen as having most of the time)

Affiliations: Ex: Red Room: Black Widow Training Program

Ex: KGB

Last Know Sighting: Monte Carlo, Monaco

Skills: Unknown what extent; operating since teenager

"I still can't believe that after 2years on the Top Priority List and the number of year prior of being monitored this is all we have to go on." Clint said flicking the picture back at Coulson, landing in the folder.

Coulson closed the file and put it aside and turned back looking at Clint. "She is one if not the best spy/assassin since the Cold War. Rumors are that she's been training since she was just a teenager and probably has a higher kill list than most of SHIELDS top agents put together."

"Come on Coulson, you know half of those agents don't have the skills that I have. Now that I don't have a rookie to babysit I'll have a good chance at getting her. Fifty bucks says I have her by the end of the month."

"You are so on."

Turns out that Coulson ended up winning that fifty bucks and by the rate it was taking Clint to keep tabs on the Widow he just wished they'd made a bet for each month it took until Barton finally caught up to her.

By March both men were getting tired of chasing the assassin all across Europe. They'd been close on Monaco but her assumed target never ended up showing. Next was a Gala in Greece, then a drug cartel in Rome (she was supposedly hired by a rival of the cartel), then there was the assassination of a royal member of a family from France and it kept going on like this until they caught a break in May in Northern Ireland. Clint was scouting rooftops in Dublin, they'd been given a quick mission whilst they were in the area. Quick kill of a politician that was selling trade secrets of Britain to some people SHIELD knew would eventually cause trouble for a lot of people.

Once he was done setting up his nest he lay in wait occasionally checking in with Coulson to give updates or if he was getting bored. After a few hours the Politician came home and was getting ready for his meeting later that night when the side of his head was met with a single bullet instead of an arrow. Clint's head shot up and looked around for the shooter but couldn't see anyone on any rooftop around him and that shot defiantly hadn't come from the ground. A minute later he saw a figure moving from the inside of the apartment. They were small and lean but the bulky clothes they were wearing made it hard to tell if they were male or female. After cleaning up the casings from the shot the shooter turned ever so slightly and Clint was able to catch a look at the woman's face slightly covered by long red hair.

"Coulson do you copy?"

"Barton please tell me you've actually got him this time and not just calling to tell me you're bored" Coulson sounded tired and ready to fall asleep.

"Well I can tell you that he's dead but I had nothing to do with it."

"What do you mean?" he sounded a lot more awake than he did a minute ago.

"I was lining up the shot when a woman from inside the apartment decided to surprise the guy with a bullet to the head. But that's not all. She's got read hair and matches at least the description that we have on the Widow." Clint said as he climbed down the side of the building he'd been perched on for the better part of 6 hours.

"Whatever you do don't follow her, we aren't ready, you aren't in the right mind set."

"Coulson this is the closest we've been to her in weeks. After we lost her in Belarus we had no leads no nothing. If I don't follow her now who knows when we'll get another shot at her. No pun intended." He could tell Coulson was trying to find a comeback that would convince him to go back to the safe house but they both knew he was right.

"Alright, follow her, but keep to a distance. We don't want her spooked and you ending up dead, you still owe me that fifty dollars." Coulson replied.

"Funny. She's leaving now heading north towards the centre of town. Don't think she's spotted me yet." He continued to follow her until she slipped down an alley that anyone would normally have missed if they weren't looking. As he rounded the corner he saw the woman bending down next to a pair of little girls that looked to be homeless.

 _"_ _Seo dhuit," she_ said in Irish handing what looked like a big wallet crammed with as much money as the thing could hold. The girls looked up at the woman and smiled at her. Clint was shocked when he saw her simply smile back and stand up. As the girls turned and ran away the Widow with her back still turned called out.

"So you've finally caught up. I was wondering how much longer it was going to take you." She said and while her Irish has been perfect her English held a slight Russian accent to it. He could here amusement and sorrow in her words.

"This was just by chance. You taking out my mark was an added bonus. Didn't have to waste a single arrow on that bastard." Clint quipped as he held his bow steady ready to take the shot. At that she turned and faced him curiosity gleaming in her piercing green eyes. He stood there observing her, her file (or the lack there of) said she was about his age but close up she looked to be no older than 20 at this observation he lowered the box slightly.

"Arrows? You're Hawkeye." It wasn't a question, it was a statement; she knew who he was. "I'd heard about you a few years back. The vigilante or mercenary depends on who you asked. You were big news and then all of a sudden you disappeared from everyone's radar. Then all of a sudden some months later your signature; the arrows started cropping up all over the place but the kills didn't match up to your M.O. So naturally I thought it was some copycat trying to get noticed, but it turns out you went straight, straight to SHIELD."

"I didn't realize I had fans let alone someone like you would know who I am. I'm almost flattered" Clint retorted. He could feel that something was off, she hadn't made a move to kill him let alone even try to escape the situation.

"So what did the guy ever do to you?" he decided to ask instead.

"Why do you care?"

"Call me curious"

"Pissed too many people off, he needed to go." She said simply, he could tell he wasn't going to get anything else out of her even though he could tell she was lying but he decided not to press his luck. "Any more questions or are you going to kill me now?" she asked it as if she were simply asking about the weather.

Fear, and defeat that was all he could see in her eyes now. She wanted this, she wanted out but something stopped him.

"What are you waiting for? Just do it!" After another few seconds of waiting for him to release the arrow she'd had enough and leapt. Side stepping her attack he went on defense. Dodging blows, using his bow like a shield against her on slaughter of attacks. After a while he could see her slipping up, whether by accident or on purpose it didn't matter. She wanted him to kill her. He saw her going for another swing and he decided to end this. He grabbed her arm and locked them behind her back, she struggled but they both knew she could get out of it if she really wanted to.

"Why did you give those girls the money you took from the politician's room? I don't know why you did it, I have some ideas but at the moment they don't matter, what does is this. A cold hearted killer wouldn't just take money and give it to a couple of homeless kids. They'd either take it for themselves as some extra cash or leave it, but charity never. You want out and the only way you know how is by getting yourself killed, but you're too afraid to do it yourself. Am I right?" she didn't answer so he kept going "you remind me of someone a long time ago and like him I'm going to do the same thing someone else did for him."

"Ya and what's that?" she snapped, going still for a moment as if she actually wanted to know what he had to say.

"Give you a second chance."


	2. Chapter 2

"You've lost your mind" she said in complete shock. He spun her around so they were eye to eye, or as close to that they could manage with her being a good foot shorter than himself.

"I know what you're thinking right now, I know that you want out of this life but you can't see any way other than getting yourself killed. So come to SHIELD with me, I'm giving you a second chance to right some of the wrongs you've done. I won't promise you all will be forgiven you'll have to work for it. You won't be trusted like with anything you'll have to earn it but I will promise you will have a better life than you do now." He said loosening his grip on her arms ever so slightly.

"And if I say no, what will happen then?" curiosity lacing her words and piercing green bore into stormy blue.

"Then I'll have no choice but to go through with my orders. But I seriously suggest going with the first option. One less life on my hands, SHIELD gets a new agent and most importantly you'll be getting another chance to live your life. So what'd ya say?"

She began to think, it was an interesting offer, new life, probably a better job and no more looking over her shoulder to make sure her past hasn't caught up to her yet. SHIELD would be a chance, a place where she could clear her ledger and get further away from the KGB and Red Room.

Clint watched the woman in front of him, he could see her processing his offer. She looked back up to the archers face and he knew her answer before she even said the words.

"I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

2000

When Clint turned up to the safe house with the Black Widow in handcuffs, Coulson knew his agent had finally lost his mind. On the other hand Clint thought he might simply pass out or shoot him right there and her to boot.

"I know what you're thinking" Clint said trying to ease the situation.

"Really?"

"You're thinking I've been seduced, that this was her idea and it will all end in her betraying us and we'll end up dead or SHIELD will be invaded by a swarm of her friends"

"Well now that you mention it, I'm even more worried that you've completely lost it!" Coulson practically shouted, beginning to pace but not taking an eye of either of them. Clint looked at Coulson as he paced and knew exactly why his handler and friend was subtly freaking out, this went against ever order given and most importantly ever fiber in either of their bodies.

"Second chances" was all Clint said to have Coulson halting in his tracks. He looked over at his agent but all her could see was the young man he had brought into SHIELD 4 years prior. Desperate and all but defeated.

"In the other room now. And make sure she's locked to something cause I really don't feel like dying today." Coulson sighed as he moved to the back room to wait for Clint.

Back in the kitchen Clint took the handcuffs and looped them around a pillar to the side of the room. After he secured them he bent down to where the widow had decided to sit, back leaning against her momentary prison.

"I'll be back in a minute, please try not to do anything stupid or our previous arraignment, I'll have no real choice in the matter."

Leaving her sitting on the ground Clint made his way over to the room Coulson had disappeared into not moments ago. As he stepped into the dimly lit room something hit him from behind.

"What the hell Coulson!" he moaned, rubbing the back of his head where the briefcase had hit him.

"Fury's going to have your bow for this and Lola just because I was here you know."

"Just hear me out Coulson." He went onto explain everything that had happened in the ally way from the two little girls to the moment he knew she wanted out. "She's just like I was, doing it to survive, I have no doubt that at some point it was her job or even her duty or whatever those Russians see it as but the way she was fighting it wasn't someone who really wanted to escape it was someone trying to find another way out. So I did it, I did the same thing you did. I see potential in her Coulson and I plan on sticking with her. No matter what Fury probably already has in store for me when we get back"

"Why? Why do you only ever make this much sense when it comes to things this risky and potentially fatal to both of us?" Coulson asked sinking onto the chair behind him.

 _Bump_

"What was that?" he asked looking towards the door. They both rushed into the kitchen only to be surprised by the fact the Widow was still there, still secured to the pillar looking bored.

"What was that sounds?" Clint asked looking around the room looking for the source of the sound.

"I don't know, I've been a bit busy sitting here. But I think it came from outside" she replied looking out the window across the room.

Coulson grabbed his gun and Clint his bow and the few arrows strew across the tabletop to his left.

"Stay here I'm going to go see what it is." Clint edged towards the back door and made his way around the house.

Back in the house Coulson turned to the woman on the floor, "Who's out there?" he demanded turning the gun on her.

"How am I supposed to know I've been with the archer or chained to this pillar for the last couple of hours." She snapped. Though he couldn't tell the Widow was worried, worried that her chance at freedom from the Red Room and the KGB was about to be taken from her. It was the truth she really didn't know who was out there but if they were after her they were as good as dead. Whereas she would be forced back into a life of servitude which to her was worse than death.

A few more minutes passed and nothing had happened. IF the archer was dead she would most likely be taken in and made to disappear of his handler would finish her off. The archer was the only one of these men who seemed to actually want to help her, she didn't care but if he died she wouldn't be getting the second chance he had somewhat promised her.

Coulson was about to check the window to see if Barton was still alive or even close to the house anymore when the door flung open and he walked in, slightly limping with a woman following up behind him.

"Hill?" the statement phrased more like a question came out of his mouth at the sight of his fellow agent walking in with a cut lip and what he knew would turn into a nasty bruise in a few hours' time.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You missed your past 3 check ins, weren't picking up your radio so Fury called me to make sure you and bird boy over here were still alive."

"Nice to see you to Hill," Clint said walking over to the fridge and pulling out what looked like a sack of ice and handing her some in a towel.

"So since I see you two are still alive I just have one question. Who the hell is that?" she asked pointing to the red head still leaning against the pillar, who for some reason looked equal parts relieved and wary.

"That Hill is the elusive Black Widow. And guess what? I'm bringing her in."


	4. Chapter 4

2000-SHIELD

To say that the ride back to SHIELD was tense would be an understatement. Hill kept glancing back from the cock pit towards where Barton and the Widow were sitting. She still couldn't believe what she was looking at, one of SHIELDS top agents sitting next to the most dangerous woman in history trying to make small talk whilst wrapping her bruised and bloody hands treating her as if she were one of the numerous people whose lives were disrupted by their actions and needed to be protected from the evil they were fighting.

"Are you sure about this Coulson?" she asked the man sitting in the co-piolets seat checking the levels of the quinjet.

"Only a few more hours till we're back. And honestly I don't know but you know Barton, when he sets his mind to something nothing can change it. He saw something in her, and apparently it's the same thing I saw in him when I brought him in." he replied turning in his seat to look back at his agent.

"But Barton wasn't one of the most wanted person on the board, he was a threat yes but his Black Book isn't nearly as long as hers and she's a lot younger than we thought so the fact that she has that many kills in such a short time span doesn't exactly scream 'I deserve a second chance' to me," she replied switching on the auto pilot so they could continue their conversation.

Hill had known Coulson since she had come to SHIELD from the Academy at only 20 years old. He was 10 years her senior then and when Clint was brought in 2 years later she could see what Coulson saw in the archer but for the life of her she couldn't see what the archer saw in the assassin. Sure she had skills that rivaled even the most senior agents at SHIELD, in a way she could see how the Widow would be an asset in the field. Now it was up to the Director to figure out what they were going to do with her.

Back at SHIELD

Stepping off the ramp of the Quinjet the 3 agents and the Widow descended into the depths of the SHIELD base. In their efforts to keep the arrival of the Black Widow they didn't call for too much back up, they had the guards already stationed at the doors to the hanger escort them to the holding cells. Walking through the long corridors they began to pass agents ranging from Level 1 all the way up to Level 9. Heads began to turn trying to see who the small group had brought in, cause it wasn't normal to see Coulson, Hill and Barton escorting anyone down to the cells, let alone needing 3 extra guards.

"Everyone will know by lunch tomorrow guaranteed, I bet even the new recruits will know sooner or later," Clint said shifting his grip on the Widows arm. "Here's hoping that Fury doesn't find out too soon, I doubt it though, I swear that man has eyes and ears everywhere. I don't even remember the last time I slept let alone in a real bed, maybe I'll be able to have a quick nap before he comes to kill me."

At this the Widows eyes widened ever so slightly, if he hadn't been paying attention (like Coulson or Hill) he would have missed it but he knew fear when he saw it. "Don't worry, I didn't mean literally. Just because I disobeyed orders doesn't mean I'll be put down, we aren't like the KGB or Red Room. I promise" he whispered so only she could hear. At this confession she felt a bit better and she turned back to staring blankly in front of them.

As they rounded the corner they nearly walked into the tall man dawning a black leather trench coat and stark black eye patch.

"So the rumors are true. Not only is the Black Widow alive and well but she's here in my base. Barton, Coulson care to explain?" he asked eyeing them both before casting his glare to the red head between them.

"Hill could you please escort the prisoner to one of the cells while I deal with these two." Hill proceeded to grab the Widows other arm and walk her down the rest of the corridor and out of sight but not before the red head looked back at Clint with almost as if to say "you promised."

But before Clint could say anything they were gone.

If anyone has any suggestions send them my way and I'll try to incorporate them into future parts!


	5. Chapter 5

Nick Fury

Leading Barton away from the lower levels of the base the two men headed in the direction of Fury's office. Which meant more long corridors lined with agents whose whispers floated around. No doubt they had to do with him bringing in the Black Widow and then being lead off to Fury's office by the man himself, probably think he's going to be fired or even worse; which was basically the same things he'd been thinking himself ever since he got off the Quinjet. They stepped onto the elevator and Clint glanced at Fury out of the corner of his eye, he didn't seem pissed off like he has expected, no glaring, no veins sticking out of his neck or forehead, just a clam look staring straight ahead. As the door slide open the two stepped out and continued down the hall. You could always tell when you were above ground level when the décor went from metal and clinical to carpeted floors and less of a "you're being watched" feeling. As they crossed the main lobby that was filled with men and woman alike in nice crisp suits either heading out for lunch or back to their offices. This was what Clint liked to called the 'normal' side of SHIELD. It's where all the lawyers, accountants (yes accountants, who else did you think helped pay for all the gear and cool gadgets down below) and the rest of the office workers (normally level 1 & 2 agents just out of the academy tend to start off).

The two agents nodded at the lady sitting behind the desk, to anyone coming in who didn't know this was the SHIELD headquarters would just assume it was another office building in New York would think she was just some sweet old lady nearing retirement. When in fact she was one of the oldest agents they had, she had been there at the start when Peggy Carter had first founded SHIELD. But since this was all she knew it let her be part of the action but still have a somewhat normal life.

They climbed into another set of elevators and rode it to the top of the skyscraper. When they arrived at the double doors that housed the top agents and further behind them held the directors own office, Fury pushed them open and headed straight to the back. The people at the desks looked up from their computers and files all labels CLASSIFIED to see who had come in. One of the agents an older Asian woman looked up and smirked at Clint and turned back to her file. Melinda May a.k.a The Cavalry was one of the best field agents out there. Even though she was a field agent she still got a office close to Fury's, she was also one of the few people he could actually call friend here. Besides Coulson, Maria and when he wasn't in a bad mood Fury, May was one of the few who actually understand him.

As they entered the corner office Fury shut the door behind them and went to sit behind the desk. Locking his fingers together he surveyed Barton over them.

"So, this has been one interesting day hasn't it Barton?" he asked simply. No yelling, no threats of demotion or firing, just the simple question.

"Second Chances. That was the first thing I was taught when I was brought in. I didn't deserve on any more than you think she does but Coulson believed in me then and I believe in her now. Just think if I can change as quickly as I did, she'll be able to probably just as quick because she actually seems to want this. I don't know for sure but I could tell that she has never gotten a say in her life about what she can and cannot do. I saw her give money to 2 little girls who were homeless. Everyone knows that if you're really a cold blooded assassin you don't give money up for anything. And I know the argument could be made that she probably has enough money out there to retire 5 times over but even if that's true why take it in the first place, there was probably only a few thousand dollars stuffed in the wallet if she didn't need it she wouldn't have taken it. But she did and she gave it to a couple of kids who had nothing. That doesn't sound like a cold hearted killer to me, sure she has a list the length of the Gettysburg address but mine isn't much shorter and you still took me in. Plus half of the people we know she took out we were after them too, and if she's on our side look at the asset SHIELD just gained against our enemies. She hasn't intimate knowledge about the KGB and Red Room, she can fill in a lot of blanks, you can even make it part of her deal." Clint finished his speech and looked back up at his boss who was now looking out of the window over the skyline.

"You've got some good points there Barton I must say, but even if this could work who knows how long until she finds another, better offer to turn on us?" Fury asked turning back to face the room. He understood why Barton was so keen on bringing the Widow in and he could see that what he was saying was true, she would be an asset to SHIELD and her in-depth knowledge would be most useful and she probably had even more knowledge on other organizations out there that they didn't know about, yet.

"if that happens and it won't I'll take responsibility for her. I'll train her, I'll watch her every move to make sure she doesn't do anything to put SHIELD in jeopardy."

"Oh I know you will. Think of it as you punishment, you and Coulson will work with her until I see that she is fit for anything. We'll have medical look her over first and then starting Monday Coulson will be set as her handler and if she ends up passing everything and I mean everything Barton, you will be her partner because I doubt anyone else is stupid enough to actually want to work with her." Fury finished and picked up his phone. "Get me Coulson." There was a pause and the director laughed "why am I not surprised, send him in" he put the phone back on the receiver "I swear that man is psychic" he muttered. The door opened with Coulson standing in the door frame.

"You wanted to see me sir?" he asked looking professional as always in his sleek black suit.

"Sit down Coulson." Fury relayed the same orders to him that he had given to Clint. After he was done he sent them on their way.

"I sure hope you know what you've gotten us into Clint," he said pushing the button to take them back to the cells.

"Trust me Coulson. I bet she'll be the best agent this place has seen since May & Carter and that's a promise." Smiling he got onto the elevator after Coulson.

"After the last bet we made when you didn't pay me?"

"Fine in two years' time I bet we'll be the best partnership in SHIELD history."

The two men shook hands as the doors closed and the compartment began its decent.

"You're on."


	6. Chapter 6

The Deal

The Widow took in her surroundings as she was led away from the archer, the only person who so far seemed to not fear her or want her dead. Before her and the female agent, she remembers someone calling her Hill, she looked back to the three men. Making eye contact with the archer she could tell that he didn't have a say at the moment to what happens to her, she had a feeling something like this would happen. Once they were out of sight the two women headed to the steel door on their left just down the hallway. Hill swiped her badge over the square metal box to the right of the door and it slide open and a key pad slid out. Blocking her view of the pad Hill quickly typed in her personal access code and the door sprung open allowing the two to enter. Closing the door behind them, Hill took out a key and unlocked her handcuffs. Raising an eyebrow at her actions, Hill simply shrugged.

"The chances of you actually making it out of this cell and past the guards are slim. And even if you did manage it there's an order to kill you on sight. So if Barton really is right about you and you want this second chance as he likes to call it then you won't try to escape." She said as she moved back towards the door, before she left she turned back and looked right into the Widows eyes "in a way I really hope Barton's right about you because I saw the good it did him and what he's done with it." With that she left, locking the door behind her.

With nothing but her thoughts to keep her company she sat on the bed that lined the right side of the room. She surveyed her surroundings, there wasn't much in the room but it was better by far from what she was used to. A bed with a few pillows and a blanket, a small table and chair next to it, a door leading to what she assumed was a bathroom and lights distributed evenly across the ceiling. She propped herself against the headboard and waited, for what she wasn't sure. Whether it was the archer or Barton as everyone called him or someone else.

It didn't take long before she heard the keypad slide out of its hidden compartment and the door click open. She turned to see the archer and the suited man enter her cell, narrowing her eyes she watched as the two men entered the room and shut the door behind them. The archer pulled up the chair next to her bed and sat while the other man remained standing behind him.

"let me guess, since the whole point of your mission was to kill me but instead you brought me back, you've been ordered to 'get rid of me' so you're here to kill me. Am I right?" she drawled using air quotes. She always knew this was going to be here fate, no matter how much she may have wanted to believe what the archer told her, no one would ever want the Black Widow on their side.

"Just the opposite actually" to her surprise it was the man in the suit who spoke. Shifting her gaze from one man to the other and looked him straight in the eyes and he looked straight back. No fear, he seemed almost bored even amused at the situation. On the inside she was in shock and a wave of relief swept over her, not that she let it show the only way the two men know that she had even understood what they had told her was by the way she raised a single eyebrow.

"We're here to offer you a deal. In exchange for your cooperation, any and all intel that you possess on enemy groups and operatives that we request and your devotion to SHIELD we will give you immunity here in the states, a place at SHIELD and if you manage to succeed here over the next little while, well let's see if you get that far before I get your hopes up shall we?" Coulson said pulling out a phone, before turning to leave the cell he turned to Barton. "I have to go and start the ridiculous amount of paperwork that you have caused. When you're done here I expect you up in my office to help finish what you started." And with that he turned and left.

Once the door had closed the archer turned back to face her and said nothing. They sat there in silence stuck in what seemed to be a staring contest that neither one was willing to break. After what seemed like hours Clint broke the silence.

"So what do ya say? Wanna join SHIELD, clear that ledger of yours, do some good and really show the idiots, I mean council men that you're more than just what your file says. You may not understand why I did what I did right now, but one day you will and see yourself the way that I do now. A girl who deserves this more than anyone." Clint sat there for a few more minutes in silence then decided he wasn't going to get anything out of her today. He stood up took one last look at her and turned towards the door.

"I just want to know one thing, and all I'm asking is that you tell me the truth. I know I'm a prisoner and will be until I can prove my devotion to this place but all I'm asking is that you tell me the truth no matter how awful it may be." she spoke for the first time since Monaco, he could hear the slightest Russian accent hidden in her words and Clint turned back towards her. "Have you ever done something like this before? Brought someone in who didn't deserve it." He looked at her, after years of being in the business that he was in he had learned how to read people, but he couldn't for the life of him tell what she was thinking or if she really cared or not. He decided to give her the only things she's asked for since she got here, the truth.

"No, you're the first." And with that he left her with only her thoughts to keep her company.


	7. Chapter 7

2000- 6 month mark

Weeks passed as the Widow went through medical exams, psychological tests, physicals and many more before Clint had a chance to speak to her one on one again without guards, doctors or whoever else had been around lately. They were in the training room for the first time, the higher ups decided that it was time to start slowly testing to see how loyal the woman would be if she were to be given actual quarters and be allowed out more than she had been so far.

Once a few months passed without incident and the Widow seemed to have settled into a routine, going though all her psych exams, physicals and interrogations/meetings with Fury all the way up to the men and women on the council. Clint hadn't heard anything bad so far but that might be them just trying to cover anything important up but whenever he saw Fury after one of their meetings he always seemed more and more pleased. Probably because he was getting more information and was now able to fill in the gaps to the never ending pile of files that were kept in the large warehouse beneath the building. He himself was pleased, since he was eventually going to be the Widows partner he was allowed access to all her tests and interrogation transcripts from what he could tell she was cooperating and by what the notes all the doctors have written out (and there were many) she seemed to be doing better. The only thing that he was personally worried about was the fact that they still didn't know her name, everyone either called her The Widow, Black Widow or in the case of many of the agents "the enemy" and no one not even her had tried to do something about it. There were still plenty of people at SHIELD who though allowing her to live was a mistake but nothing so far had made him think that way.

On his way down to her cell about 6 months into her being at SHIELD he decided that it had been long enough that he could take her out to somewhere that wasn't a meeting room or small sterile room that she could be tested or questioned about her past. He had talked to Fury and Coulson about his idea and after a little debate and some "are you serious" looks he had been granted the ability to take her off base for a few hours.

When he arrived at her door he shifted the bag that he had dangling from his arm so he could punch in his access code like he had done many times previous, knocked on the door and entered. She was sitting on her bed as she always is when he comes to get her but this time was different, she was reading a book and when he got closer he could see that it was in some other language that he assumed was Russian by the way the characters were laid out on the pages.

"I've got a surprise for you. Get ready, I brought you some normal clothes for, and hopefully they fit." He said tossing the bag at her feet. She looked up from her book when they landed and looked at him. She didn't move, she only continued to look at him with questioning eyes.

"Why would I need clothes?" she asked finally setting her book aside and pulled the bag towards her pulling out a pair of dark jeans, red tank top and a brown leather jacket.

"Because we are going out, only for a few hours that's all I could get us but it's still better than what you've gotten in the past 6 months." He said turning his back, "hurry up and get changed I don't want Fury to change his mind before we even step out of the building."

Deciding not to argue with him she quickly undressed and put on the new clothes, to her surprise they were a perfect fit. She should have been surprised but given the stories she's heard about his eye sight she just assumed that he had been able to guess her measurements.

"Okay you can turn around now." She smirked and then frowned, she wasn't used to men being so gentlemanly, she was used to them gawking at her and trying to make move but in the months she had been at SHIELD no one had even tried. Some she knew were probably just too scared but Barton, the man she now knew as Agent Coulson and Fury, the only men who were never afraid of her hadn't even tried. Not even as payment for everything she had given them or as punishment like her old 'bosses' in the Red Room used to do.

Once he had turned around he looked her up and down, not in a predatory way but to make sure he had been correct in what he had acquired for her. "I take it they are to your liking?" he asked and he moved towards the door. She decided it was best to just follow and see what happened, she had learned it was pointless to get answers out of the man in front of her if he didn't want to no matter how hard she tried. As they made their way to the surface and out the front doors, they were lucky not to pass too many people on their way out. Seeing that it was the weekend and all those personnel that were either not on assignment and those who worked the typical 5 day week were at home with their families they didn't have to deal with too many stares.

When they reached the garage where everyone parked their cars, Clint moved over towards a sleek black Jaguar. They got in and Clint started it up and drove out of the large almost warehouse sized parking garage and headed to the highway. They drove for half an hour before he took an exit leading towards the centre of Manhattan. 15 minutes later he pulled into a parking spot, got out and paid and went around to the other side of the car to see his companion already getting out herself. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, he shrugged innocently and jerked his head to the left and they began to walk down the street. Another 10 minutes later and they were walking through the gate to Central Park, Clint seemed to have a destination in mind so she just followed him without saying a word.

"Here we are," he said as they neared a bench near the water. There was nothing special about it that she could tell. Looking around she noticed that Clint had already gone and perched himself on top of the bench, turning to look at her and waving her over. She paused but eventually made her way over to the bench.

"Widow." He paused to gauge her reaction, which was that she simply looked at him waiting for him to continue "is a horrible name to be called all the time, don't you think?" she continued to see what his point was going to be. "One of the reasons why I brought you here nowhere near SHIELD is because I think you need to come up with a name without having everyone breathing down your neck." He finished and looked out over the water.

She was stunned, she had never thought about creating a name for herself here. All she had ever known were aliases and code names. She had never known what her real name was but when she was in the Red Room they had called her Natalie Romanova but she doubt that was even her really name, but it was the only one she knew.

"All I've ever known was Natalie Romanova. I doubt that it's even my real name but it's the only one I've ever known." She said turning towards him with a small frown gracing her face.

"Well we can't use that one because you still have enemies and even though you're smart they'll still be checking under anything you've used in the past in the hopes that you might slip up."

"I never make a mistake." She snapped, glaring at him. She was the Black Widow, she never made mistakes, and she was perfect in every aspect of her job.

"I know that" he rushed holding up his hand in a surrender gesture, "but it's something that they'll probably do anyways, but what we can do is create a name based off of your old one. How about Naomi Reynolds? Same initials and the first name sounds similar." She shook her head looking disgusted "I knew a Naomi once when I was little, I don't want anything to remind me of my childhood."

"Okay, deal, nothing from your past. I know how difficult it can be when your pasts sucks. Before I screw up anymore today, did you have something in mind?" he asked trying to show her that she had a say in her life now, she didn't have to take orders when it came to personal things.

"Natasha," all of a sudden she knew it was something close to her past but at the same time knew no one would ever look for her under that name, "Natasha Romanoff."

"Isn't that too close to your other name?" he asked, confused as to why she would choose something so similar.

"I know what you're thinking but in Russia Natasha is what you Americans call a nickname for Natalia. No one would even think to check that name especially because something as personal that only close friends and family would ever use would never cross their minds as to something I would ever do. And Romanoff is the Americanized version. It'll work, trust me." She said off handedly because she knew that no one truly trusted her at SHIELD.

"I do," he replied "and you make a good point. So Natasha, what do you want to do for the next 2 hours of freedom?"

Taken aback by him giving her the ability to choose what they were doing she asked "could we just stay here? It's been a long time since I could just enjoy doing nothing and in a place so peaceful."

So the two just sat side by side on the park bench and watched people playing, biking and just enjoying the Saturday afternoon before they had to make their way back to SHIELD.

"You said you had a surprise for me, was it this whole name thing?" she asked suddenly remembering what he had said when he came to get her earlier.

"Oh right, no, god no, what kind of surprise would that be No the really surprise will be waiting for you back at H.Q. I managed to convince not only Fury but the Council as well to allow you to have your own set of quarters. It'll be better than the cell you've been living and it's next to mine so I can keep an eye on you, don't look at me like that, councils orders but since we'll be partners once you get done jumping through all the bureaucratic hoops that is. So what do ya say, partners?" holding out his hand.

She'd never had a partner before, she was used to going on missions with other operatives in the KGB and Red Room but none that survived or worked out after a mission or two. But something was different, she couldn't put a finger on it but with Clint it felt different from anything she was used to. So she took his hand.

"Deal"


	8. Chapter 8

2000-Girl's Day Out

For the past 6 months all May and Hill really heard about was The Black Widow. Whether or not she was here because she was on the run, whether she was here as a sleeper agent, or whatever else people had been coming up with. But since they both new Barton they decided to give the woman a chance. So together they decided to take her out to get her clothes that for once didn't have some kind of insignia branded across it. They managed to get Fury's approval (he was growing tired of having to approve whether or not the Widow could move from her own room) to let them take her off base for the day.

They showed up to her door that was across from Barton's and knocked. It took a few moments before the door cracked open, the red head stared out at the two women looking confused.

"Can I help you?" she asked pulling the door further open so she could get a better look at Hill and May.

"My money's on those being the only clothes you have without SHIELD stamped across it somewhere am I right?" May asked pointing to the closet behind her to the right of the bed. She nodded, which made May smirk.

"That's what we thought, and that's why we are taking you shopping. So get dressed, we leave in 15. Meet us in the garage, you know where it is right?" Hill asked as the two women turned to leave. When Natasha nodded they took their leave and headed down to the garage.

15 minutes later Natasha entered the garage and spotted the other women standing next to a blood red sports car. Making her way over to them she kept glancing around her, seeing how paranoid the red head was May and Hill looked at each other then back to her as she arrived in front of them. Before they could ask the question that was on the tip of both their tongues Natasha spoke,

"This wouldn't be the first time someone has lured me into an ambush by using false friendship or kindness" she stated looking from one to the other and then sweeping the room and then the car in front of her. "But it seems there truly is a first for everything. So what is the plan?" she asked as she walked around the women and opened the car door. Hill got into the opposite side of the car as May started the engine.

They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through an outlet mall and for most of that time Natasha was trying to figure out what these two women wanted from her. She was already meeting with Fury 4 times a week giving information on everything she knows about everything they asked for but she couldn't figure out what they wanted.

"Why did you bring me here?" the question left her lips before she could stop it, but neither women looked overly surprised that she had asked it. "I'm already tell Fury everything he wants to know, so why did he send you two to be all friendly with me?"

"Fury didn't send us, we asked to do this."

"Why?"

"Because we wanted to know why Barton risked his life and his job to save you. Plus us girls need to stick together, you can't just be hanging around Clint all the time or you'll eventually go mad, trust us" May smirked. "We see the way the other agents tend to treat you, they avoid you out of fear or out of hatred. Not many people have had the career you've had and you have killed some of our people in the past as well."

"Then why are you here with me? If I have killed you people, your friends then why the hell aren't you avoiding me out? Because I can tell you right now that neither one of you is afraid of me or you wouldn't have come by yourselves without some kind of security detail surrounding us right now or a sniper perched somewhere in a building across the street ready to cut me down at the slightest wrong move by me, cause I'd know if there were. I've been trained to notice these things since before I can remember," Natasha retorted, getting tired of not knowing.

Deciding to shed some light on the whole situation May sat down on a nearby bench and Natasha realized that if she wanted answers she was going to have to play by their rules for now, so she took a seat next to May and Hill stood in front of them blocking any onlookers attempts to pry..

"Barton's told us a little of what he knows from your past," at the look of slight betrayal starting to form on her face May stepped in, "only the information that he was given for his and Coulson's OP to take you out, he would never betray your trust like that, especially not that now that he has got at least some of it." Maria continued "as well as the random things that he's been interpreted over the past 8 months. And from what we've heard you actually want to change, you want to do some good. That you're no here as some sleeper agent, even though there are still plenty of people who still think that way, trying to take SHIELD down from the inside, Barton's not stupid enough to just fall for another pretty face. He believes in you so we told Fury that in order for people to start to see you as less of a threat and more of a person we needed to start showing others that more people especially those who are higher up in the ranks believe that to, cause what good would it be for no one to be scared of you am I right?"

"So we decided that for that you needed more than one person you could trust. So if you want, consider us two more people who don't want to drop you out of a helicopter." Hill finished.

Natasha looked between Hill and May taking in what she'd just heard. Her whole life, or for as long as she could remember she had been lied to, manipulated by others in order to suit and make priority of everyone else's needs above her own. But for some reason she believed that they were telling the truth, she wasn't stupid enough to follow them blindly but she would do her best to try and change the way she thought in order to not see everyone as a potential threat to her well-being.

"So, what are the chances that I'll be able to get these clothes charged to some SHILED spending account is there?" she asked as a smirk started forming on her lips, even though she was new at this she felt as if these women would understand her better than most at SHIELD.

"I had a feeling we'd get along, now I know we are going to get on just fine Widow, don't ya think May?" Hill asked the older woman.

"You'll fit in just fine-" May agreed but paused as if not wanting to use the name the red head was known by.

"Natasha, my name's Natasha."

"You'll fit in just fine – Natasha"


	9. Chapter 9

2000- 6 month mark

Weeks passed as the Widow went through medical exams, psychological tests, physicals and many more before Clint had a chance to speak to her one on one again without guards, doctors or whoever else had been around lately. They were in the training room for the first time, the higher ups decided that it was time to start slowly testing to see how loyal the woman would be if she were to be given actual quarters and be allowed out more than she had been so far.

Once a few months passed without incident and the Widow seemed to have settled into a routine, going though all her psych exams, physicals and interrogations/meetings with Fury all the way up to the men and women on the council. Clint hadn't heard anything bad so far but that might be them just trying to cover anything important up but whenever he saw Fury after one of their meetings he always seemed more and more pleased. Probably because he was getting more information and was now able to fill in the gaps to the never ending pile of files that were kept in the large warehouse beneath the building. He himself was pleased, since he was eventually going to be the Widows partner he was allowed access to all her tests and interrogation transcripts from what he could tell she was cooperating and by what the notes all the doctors have written out (and there were many) she seemed to be doing better. The only thing that he was personally worried about was the fact that they still didn't know her name, everyone either called her The Widow, Black Widow or in the case of many of the agents "the enemy" and no one not even her had tried to do something about it. There were still plenty of people at SHIELD who though allowing her to live was a mistake but nothing so far had made him think that way.

On his way down to her cell about 6 months into her being at SHIELD he decided that it had been long enough that he could take her out to somewhere that wasn't a meeting room or small sterile room that she could be tested or questioned about her past. He had talked to Fury and Coulson about his idea and after a little debate and some "are you serious" looks he had been granted the ability to take her off base for a few hours.

When he arrived at her door he shifted the bag that he had dangling from his arm so he could punch in his access code like he had done many times previous, knocked on the door and entered. She was sitting on her bed as she always is when he comes to get her but this time was different, she was reading a book and when he got closer he could see that it was in some other language that he assumed was Russian by the way the characters were laid out on the pages.

"I've got a surprise for you. Get ready, I brought you some normal clothes for, and hopefully they fit." He said tossing the bag at her feet. She looked up from her book when they landed and looked at him. She didn't move, she only continued to look at him with questioning eyes.

"Why would I need clothes?" she asked finally setting her book aside and pulled the bag towards her pulling out a pair of dark jeans, red tank top and a brown leather jacket.

"Because we are going out, only for a few hours that's all I could get us but it's still better than what you've gotten in the past 6 months." He said turning his back, "hurry up and get changed I don't want Fury to change his mind before we even step out of the building."

Deciding not to argue with him she quickly undressed and put on the new clothes, to her surprise they were a perfect fit. She should have been surprised but given the stories she's heard about his eye sight she just assumed that he had been able to guess her measurements.

"Okay you can turn around now." She smirked and then frowned, she wasn't used to men being so gentlemanly, she was used to them gawking at her and trying to make move but in the months she had been at SHIELD no one had even tried. Some she knew were probably just too scared but Barton, the man she now knew as Agent Coulson and Fury, the only men who were never afraid of her hadn't even tried. Not even as payment for everything she had given them or as punishment like her old 'bosses' in the Red Room used to do.

Once he had turned around he looked her up and down, not in a predatory way but to make sure he had been correct in what he had acquired for her. "I take it they are to your liking?" he asked and he moved towards the door. She decided it was best to just follow and see what happened, she had learned it was pointless to get answers out of the man in front of her if he didn't want to no matter how hard she tried. As they made their way to the surface and out the front doors, they were lucky not to pass too many people on their way out. Seeing that it was the weekend and all those personnel that were either not on assignment and those who worked the typical 5 day week were at home with their families they didn't have to deal with too many stares.

When they reached the garage where everyone parked their cars, Clint moved over towards a sleek black Jaguar. They got in and Clint started it up and drove out of the large almost warehouse sized parking garage and headed to the highway. They drove for half an hour before he took an exit leading towards the centre of Manhattan. 15 minutes later he pulled into a parking spot, got out and paid and went around to the other side of the car to see his companion already getting out herself. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, he shrugged innocently and jerked his head to the left and they began to walk down the street. Another 10 minutes later and they were walking through the gate to Central Park, Clint seemed to have a destination in mind so she just followed him without saying a word.

"Here we are," he said as they neared a bench near the water. There was nothing special about it that she could tell. Looking around she noticed that Clint had already gone and perched himself on top of the bench, turning to look at her and waving her over. She paused but eventually made her way over to the bench.

"Widow." He paused to gauge her reaction, which was that she simply looked at him waiting for him to continue "is a horrible name to be called all the time, don't you think?" she continued to see what his point was going to be. "One of the reasons why I brought you here nowhere near SHIELD is because I think you need to come up with a name without having everyone breathing down your neck." He finished and looked out over the water.

She was stunned, she had never thought about creating a name for herself here. All she had ever known were aliases and code names. She had never known what her real name was but when she was in the Red Room they had called her Natalie Romanova but she doubt that was even her really name, but it was the only one she knew.

"All I've ever known was Natalie Romanova. I doubt that it's even my real name but it's the only one I've ever known." She said turning towards him with a small frown gracing her face.

"Well we can't use that one because you still have enemies and even though you're smart they'll still be checking under anything you've used in the past in the hopes that you might slip up."

"I never make a mistake." She snapped, glaring at him. She was the Black Widow, she never made mistakes, and she was perfect in every aspect of her job.

"I know that" he rushed holding up his hand in a surrender gesture, "but it's something that they'll probably do anyways, but what we can do is create a name based off of your old one. How about Naomi Reynolds? Same initials and the first name sounds similar." She shook her head looking disgusted "I knew a Naomi once when I was little, I don't want anything to remind me of my childhood."

"Okay, deal, nothing from your past. I know how difficult it can be when your pasts sucks. Before I screw up anymore today, did you have something in mind?" he asked trying to show her that she had a say in her life now, she didn't have to take orders when it came to personal things.

"Natasha," all of a sudden she knew it was something close to her past but at the same time knew no one would ever look for her under that name, "Natasha Romanoff."

"Isn't that too close to your other name?" he asked, confused as to why she would choose something so similar.

"I know what you're thinking but in Russia Natasha is what you Americans call a nickname for Natalia. No one would even think to check that name especially because something as personal that only close friends and family would ever use would never cross their minds as to something I would ever do. And Romanoff is the Americanized version. It'll work, trust me." She said off handedly because she knew that no one truly trusted her at SHIELD.

"I do," he replied "and you make a good point. So Natasha, what do you want to do for the next 2 hours of freedom?"

Taken aback by him giving her the ability to choose what they were doing she asked "could we just stay here? It's been a long time since I could just enjoy doing nothing and in a place so peaceful."

So the two just sat side by side on the park bench and watched people playing, biking and just enjoying the Saturday afternoon before they had to make their way back to SHIELD.

"You said you had a surprise for me, was it this whole name thing?" she asked suddenly remembering what he had said when he came to get her earlier.

"Oh right, no, god no, what kind of surprise would that be No the really surprise will be waiting for you back at H.Q. I managed to convince not only Fury but the Council as well to allow you to have your own set of quarters. It'll be better than the cell you've been living and it's next to mine so I can keep an eye on you, don't look at me like that, councils orders but since we'll be partners once you get done jumping through all the bureaucratic hoops that is. So what do ya say, partners?" holding out his hand.

She'd never had a partner before, she was used to going on missions with other operatives in the KGB and Red Room but none that survived or worked out after a mission or two. But something was different, she couldn't put a finger on it but with Clint it felt different from anything she was used to. So she took his hand.

"Deal"


	10. Chapter 10

2001-Birthday/First Mission

It had been a year since Barton had brought her into SHIELD and some days she still couldn't quite believe that she was still alive. Most people turn 21 and barely flinch, sure to most Americans it means they can finally drink (legally of course) but to her she couldn't believe she had managed to survive. In the Red Room most of the girls don't make it through training let alone living as long as she had after completing the training itself.

When she woke up that morning to find Clint knocking on her door she opened it to find him holding a folder and a small box.

"Happy Birthday!" he said smiling down at her holding out the two items in his hands. Without saying anything he could tell she was confused.

"I know it's not your real birthday but since you won't tell me I've decided that since today is the anniversary of me bringing you into SHIELD it'll be your birthday," he said walking past her into her room "unless of course you want to tell me now." Smirking back at her he dropped the file and box down on the table next to her bed and sat down next to it looking at her expectantly.

She scoffed before crossing the room to pick up the file, opening it to find what looked like classified documents outlining a drug smuggling ring operating out of Ecuador that had been giving SHIELD a bit of a problem the past few months. It looks like they'd been evading them but they couldn't find out how. It looked like a cake walk of a mission compared to the missions the Red Room used to give her.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked looking up from the folder and at the man sitting across from her.

"Think of it as a gift from SHIELD. They decided that since you've been here a year now that they can't just keep you on base 24/7. I brought you in for a reason and since you haven't done anything to piss anyone off for a while they decided it was time." He told her reaching over to grab the folder from her and pushing the box towards her with the file.

"So it's a test to see if I remain loyal to SHIELD and if not there'll be someone in the distance ready to take me out the moment I step out of line," crossing her arms over her chest she continued "am I right?"

"Ya pretty much, but hey we get to go on our first mission as partners and we finally get to get off base for more than a few hours." He said trying to sound positive.

Natasha had to admit going on a mission after this long would be nice, she was getting sick of just training and sitting around all the time, it wasn't what she was built for and she had a feeling SHIELD knew that and it was one of the many reasons why they had delayed the inevitable for as long as they had.

"So when do we leave?"

"Coulson said wheels up tomorrow at 08:00 hours, so I'll leave you to go over the mission details and I'll swing by later with Coulson so he can debrief us on the specifics." Clint left her alone to get to know her part of the mission and went to find Coulson.

"You do realize that she was going to figure out that this was a test, right." Clint said as he walked into Coulson's office and collapsing on the couch and picking up his own file for the missions to Ecuador.

"I did, but I don't think the higher ups realize that Romanoff is smarter than they think she is." He replied not looking up from his stack of paper but smirking none the less. "They probably think she's just what she lets people see her as."

"And what's that" Clint asked, already knowing what he was going to say.

"A young, pretty, naïve little girl, that was trained to obey and not ask questions. Basically a young hit woman who doesn't think past "Plan, kill, pay day" so when Fury passed this mission along to me my suspicions were confirmed. Let's just hope that they realize their mistake soon so the two of you can actually get some missions that measure up to your caliber." Coulson finished as they neared Natasha's quarters.

"Ya, would be nice to be assigned something other than babysitting duty of some pompous, heiress half way across the world." Clint replied as he knocked on the door. They heard a faint 'enter' and he pushed the door open to find his partner stretched out on her bed lazily flipping through the file folder he had given her a few hours previous.

"You're still not done going through it" Clint asked in surprise. By now he thought she would have been due to her past experience in their field.

She scoffed and tossed to folder aside before straightening up and moving to the door.

"Please, I finished it 10 minutes after you left. Memorized it in 20, I was just bored waiting for you two to collect me for the briefing so since no one seems to think I can be trusted with something as simple as a few books or even a TV, I worked with what I had available to me. I take it we're going to someplace else to debrief or…" she trailed off looking at the men in front of her. Clint was smirking and Coulson looked almost amused.

"See Coulson, the council will be giving us real missions in no time."

The next morning the two agents were heading towards the Quinjet that was being prepped for the 13 hour flight that was ahead of them.

"So, what do you think this Anya Degadio will be like?" Clint asked as he took his spot in the pilot's chair. Natasha slipped into the co-pilots seat a few seconds later, with a book in hand (Coulson had managed to smuggle her a few things before the left).

"My training never taught me to think about the target as anything more than that, a target.

But seeing as I was never given protection assignments before," she paused, trying to adjust her personal thinking about how a mission is supposed to be done "I'd say she'll probably be like every other rich, entitled woman out there."

"And what prey tell does that entail?"

"Someone who doesn't want us there what so ever"

The mission was as simple as one could get without purposely trying to piss them off and being obvious that this was a test run. Some rich man's daughter was getting death threats for a number of reasons, you name it: revenge on her father, payday for the assassination etc… so it turns out Mr. Degadio has some pretty good connections with the US government and it was decided S.H.I.E.L.D was the best agency for the job. Turns out the FBI and CIA were well associated with the Degadio family and they didn't want to take any chances with Anya's safety whist she traveled Europe for the summer promoting her fashion line.

"Could there be anything more stereotypical than a rich daddy's girl to make a fashion line?" Clint asked after a few hours of silence, the only interruptions being a page turning or something on the Quinjet beeping at him.

Without looking up from her book Natasha responded, "Perfume, a new exercise craze to beat all the others. Who knows but at least the stops she's making aren't in any countries I've been banned from."

Setting the jet to autopilot Clint turned to his partner in amusement, "and prey tells which countries those would be?"

The smirk that crept its way onto her face was the only thing that would indicate that she was even listening to him, "Too many to get into but let's just say, the last Pope wasn't too fond of us Russians." And with that she went back to her book and back to ignoring him.

Clint let out a laugh, because if he were being honest the fact she had pissed off the most powerful person in Europe next to the Queen of England, it would be his partner.

When they touch down in Sweden a long black stretch limo is already waiting for them on the tarmac. As Clint powered down the jet, Natasha moved to the back to where Coulson had been sleeping. Looking back at her partner then back at the sleeping man in front of her she decides to risk the gun that will most likely be drawn on her the moment the older man realizes who was in front of him.

"Coulson? We're here." But to her surprise the only thing Coulson did on being woken up was blink at her in confusion and thank her for the wakeup call.

To say she wasn't used to people being so calm about being in such close proximity to her was an understatement to say the least.

The 3 agents proceeded to grab their packs and make their way off the jet and into the limo which would take them to the Degadio Estates

2 weeks later….

"If she comments on the way I decide to dress as a bodyguard and tries to get me into trying her new line one more time I don't care how pissed Fury or the Council will be, I'm going to kill her!" Natasha whispered, venom dripping from her every word. Clint, who wasn't having the time of his life either, stopped beside her and replied with a slight growl in his vice, "I'll swap with you, you try convincing her father I'm just here to do my job and not sleep with his daughter. I swear it's like he forgets he's the one who requested protection in the first place and that I didn't just walk up to their front gates and decided this is where I want to spend my time. Following his daughter around 24/7"

Despite being there for 2 weeks now the closest they had come to some action was when a crazed fan of her fashion line had managed to break through the security lines and tried to show Anya her own work. Besides that it had been one of the most boring missions either agent had been on in their careers.

1 week later….

To say the threat had been simply from one of those "anti-fur fashion hate groups" was surprising to say the least. But after a few more angry letters and slander campaigns ads against Anya's fashion they had managed to track down the group and Coulson had done his thing. Finally convincing the group that their efforts, whilst inspiring and a righteous cause, were going a bit too far and they agreed to stop with the threats and slander in exchange for Anya's to start incorporating faux-furs into her line from now on.

Once they were back at SHIELD and had been debriefed Clint was called into see Fury before he was allowed off of base and back into his apartment.

"You wanted to see me sir?" as he walked right past his secretary and into the office. Fury was facing the large window looking out on the skyline of New York City.

"So the mission was a success." Not a question, but a matter of fact was all Fury said before turning around and sitting down at his desk. Looking across at Clint, Clint could see his boss was trying to make a decision, about what, who knows.

"The day I sent you after Romanoff I made a bet with myself, and Coulson."

"And what was that, sir?"

"That I had sent the right agent to not kill her….but bring her in."

Clint, being in the lien of work that he was in, doesn't tend to be shocked by much but finding out that tidbit of information would now be added to the very short list of them.

Trying to regain himself he smirked "I bet Phil was thrilled at losing that one."

"Oh, he was and you should have seen his face, $350, but he thought it'd be funny to give it to me in spare change."

"Coulson doesn't like to lose, but when he does he has a way of still winning."

"By the way, I've spoken with the council and you will from now on be receiving proper missions that are better suited to both of your caliber. I'm also going to be making some changes around here, the first being instating you and Romanoff as the first, of what I hope will become many, STRIKE Teams here at SHIELD. Special teams, with the right abilities for the right mission parameters. You will from this day forth be referred to as STRIKE TEAM DELTA."


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry it's been so long, but here is a little something I just came up with until i can figure out where I"m going with the next part of the story.

2002 Trust

Almost a year after the Ecuador mission and several other successful missions, one in which Natasha had saved her partners life Natasha was in one of the more advanced training rooms with May. They were running through one of the new obstacle course simulations the SHIELD techs had come up with and had requested the two agents to run through it so they could evaluate their simulation and to work out the kinks before it was made available to all agents and the other SHIELD facilities around the world.

Over the past 2 years at SHIELD, the agents had become more accustomed to the Black Widow roaming the halls, but there were still a few among them that were waiting for the day that she snapped and turned on them. Fortunately for her she had made some friends that she could actually see herself trusting.

"Romanoff, ready to see what this thing has?" May called from her position on the other side of the room. Smirking, Natasha tossed her one of the special stun guns the techs had created to go along with the simulation. It worked with the holograms and made sure that any missed shots didn't harm/kill other agents.

"Let's do this." She turned to look up at the observation room where the techs were stationed, giving them a thumbs up, she turned back to the course. The course started up and the two agents started making their way through the course. Hologram enemy agents started beaming up from the floors, obstacle walls started to rise from the ground and lasers crisscrossed the room. The techs had told them it should take them about 30 minutes to complete the course, however for the Cavalry and Black Widow they were done in half the time with perfect scores. When they were finished they heard someone clapping from the door. They turned to see Barton standing there with an amused look on his face as he watch the techs emerge from the room they had been watching from, all their faces covered with a mixture of frowns, scowls and impressed looks. They began to run around to all the different areas to get specs and information that the sensors had gathered throughout the simulations.

"You two just won me $75 from those guys, bet them that you'd finish it before the time was up. They on the other hand thought they had finally created a test hard enough for you two, but they don't know you like I do." With a laugh he walked over two the women. "By the way May, Fury was looking for you, said he'd be in his office and wanted you to go see him when you got the chance."

"Thanks Barton. Good work today Romanoff, see you later." And with that May picked up her training bag and left the room.

"See guys!" Clint called over to the techs who were still trying to figure out where their simulation had gone wrong. "This is why I trust her in and out in the field, she's the best of the best and thanks again for the cash." The techs scowled at him but Natasha had stilled at his words, _"I trust her…"_ no one had ever trusted her before, outside of the marks she worked, but they tended to end up dead so they didn't really count. "Hey you okay? You kinda zoned out there for a second."

Natasha looked back at her partner, a concerned frown crossed his face. She took a sip of her water before speaking, still trying to get her mind around the fact that someone trusted her. "You're an idiot for trusting me Barton, I've been in this field for most of my life and all I've ever been taught was trusting someone in our jobs is one of the most idiotic things that you can do. All I've done in my life is lie and kill and destroy others people lives, including some of the lives of agents of this agency. We've only known each other for two years and have been working together for even less time. I know we work well together but that's a whole other thing all together. So tell me what on earth could I have done to earn your trust?" She finished, placing her hands on her hips glaring at him slightly.

"You're kidding me right?" he looked at her with an exasperated look on his face. "You've been here for two years, you haven't betrayed SHIELD, you haven't run off with any information, killed anyone, you haven't betrayed me. Everyone thought that by now you would have done at least one of those things and you proved them wrong time and time again. And let's not forget you saved my life 5 months ago down in Peru, I find it hard not to trust someone who took the risks you did to make sure I made it back alive."

"You do realize that could have been self-preservation right? If I had let you die out there Coulson and Fury would have killed me and my plan to take all the most important information SHIELD has and auction it off to the highest bidder would have been ruined." She stared him down, not showing the slightest amount of emotion.

Clint looked at her for a moment before bursting out laughing, "Ya, no. But it's good to know you have a sense of humor after all this time." Natasha looked at him and for the first time in since probably before she had been taken by the Red Room, she smiled.

"I'm not kidding about the trust part, Barton. The lives we lead and what you know about my past I honestly don't know how you can trust me so easily."

"I was where you were once. When Coulson brought me in I had been betrayed by basically everyone I knew. My father abused me, my mother let him, my own brother tried to kill me, and the list goes on, so basically before I met Coulson I never trusted anyone. So I understand where you're coming from and I know you aren't gonna run because I've seen how you've changed since I brought you in and you haven't done anything to make me even think of not trusting you with my life. Plus the fact that you just smiled, in what I think is the first time ever and didn't just beat the crap out of me for laughing at you helps to. Now don't kill me." He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. Frozen, she stood there until she slowly raised her arms and returned the hug. And for the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to have someone actually care about her.


	12. Chapter 12

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Nightmares 2003/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Being an assassin, nightmares were not an uncommon occurrence and after the way Natasha grew up and how she lived, hers were even more messed up than others. On the three year anniversary of her being brought into SHIELD found Natasha awake at 1 a.m down in one of the basic training rooms beating on a heavy bag, trying to keep her demons at bay. Despite the fact that working for SHIELD required a lot less killing of innocent people than the Red Room had there were still the odd mission that threw her for a loop that caused memories from her childhood to resurface and haunt her day and nights. She and Barton had recently gotten back from a mission in Romania tracking down a human trafficker by the name of Andrei, who specialized in children, specifically orphans (no one to miss them when they disappear). After two months of watching, tracking, gathering Intel for Fury and slowly dismantling the lower levels of his operation they were finally given the green light to take him out. The plan was to take him out when he was on his way to the nearest orphanage before he could take any more children, but they hadn't planned for what he had in play. They took him out quick and simple (arrows through the throat and eye socket) and as they finished hauling his body into the trunk of the car they had acquired and started back to their safe house, the orphanage exploded in a blaze of fire. The two assassins turned back in the attempt to save the children but the second blast sent their car spinning into the side of a building near-by and they knew it was too late./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"When they returned to SHIELD, Coulson filled them in on what the clean-up crew had learned. They had posed as officials from the government telling locals it had been a gas pipe explosion that had caused the tragedy but in reality it had be planned. It turned out that Andrei had rigged the place to blow once he took the remaining children so as to cover his tracks giving the illusion that they had all died in the fires when in reality they would had been shipped off to numerous countries around the world for, in her opinion, worse fates. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It was almost 3:00 a.m when she was broken out of her thoughts to Barton walking in and taking up position at the firing range. Neither of them spoke or acknowledged the other until Natasha finally running out of energy slumped to the ground leaning against the wall and just staring at her partner letting arrows fly. After a while he stopped and slide down onto the floor next to her and they both stared at the opposite side of the gym./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""After my parents died my brother and I were put in an orphanage. We spend 4 years waiting to be taken home by some 'loving' family and live our happily ever after's," he snorted but continued "after that place we ended up running away and joining this travelling circus that had stopped in town." Natasha's head slowly turned to look at him, a mixture of emotions crossed her face. Surprise at the fact that he was telling her something so personal, sadness that now she knew they had both suffered loss and heartbreak at such young ages and finally in slight amusement at the knowledge she was partnered with an ex-carnie. "I was the same age as those kids who were being sold off."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I don't remember my parents." Natasha started, still looking at him, he had shared something personal so she decided that if she could trust him to have her back in the field, and she could trust him with some of her past as well. "I just remember the fire burning and being taken to the Red Room by Ivan. Those kids were being taken and used by someone they probably thought was there to save them and didn't realize it until it was too late. And I know how that feels because I was them once." When she paused she realized that he had put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it is reassurance./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""How old were you?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Four."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Neither one of them spoke after that, they just sat there in silence taking comfort in the fact that they had finally found someone who could understand the other like no one else could. They both had their demons and it wouldn't be long before they would be helping each other after their nightmares. These nights would turn into the sharing of stories from their equally messed up pasts./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"And that's how Coulson found them in the morning when he came looking for them for the debrief for their next mission. They were still leaning against the gym wall but now slumped against each other with his arm still around her shoulders, her leaning into his side, both fast asleep./span/p 


End file.
